10 Most Underrated Villains in 'Game of Thrones'

George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones is renowned for its creation of legendary heroes and fearsome villains such as Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson), Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), and so on. The antagonists in great movies, television series, and books always contribute significantly to the quality of the work as they should.

Moreover, only a few primary villains can't possibly cover the entire Game of Thrones universe because it is so large and diverse. There are always low-level and medium-level villains who provide room for the more powerful ones to shine. Although Game of Thrones has it all, fans can overlook or undervalue them.

Viserys Targaryen

Viserys Targaryen (Harry Lloyd) was the younger brother of the late Rhaegar Targaryen (Wilf Scolding) and the older brother of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). Following a rebellion against their father, Aerys II Targaryen, the "Mad King," Viserys and Daenerys became the last of the House Targaryen to be banished. After his father was killed, he claimed the Iron Throne as King Viserys III, but he never came back to Westeros.

Viserys was haughty, conceited, hostile, sadistic, volatile, and immoral. Similar to Joffrey Baratheon, Viserys believed that his birthright gave him the right to submission and adoration from all around him. He would act out when not accorded the respect he felt he was entitled to, despite having done little or nothing to earn it. If Viserys had been alive at the time, he might have made a formidable foe in Daenerys's ascent to the throne.

Craster

With his daughters and wives, Craster (Robert Pugh) was a wildling who resided north of the Wall in a fortified farmhouse dubbed Craster's Keep. Even though he was regarded as a Night's Watch ally and permitted the Watch to use his keep as a redoubt during their rangings north, they thought little of him.

Incest is considered common in the world of Game of Thrones, thus, Craster who is a wildling cannot find himself equal to the greatest villains such as Cersei Lannister (Lena Heady). However, he is incredibly underrated because he also raped his daughters and fed his incestuously born sons to the White Walkers in exchange for tranquility beyond the Wall.

Grand Maester Pycelle

Pycelle (Julian Glover) served as Grand Maester to several monarchs and was a part of the small council, although his true allegiance was to House Lannister. By keeping his head down, he endured six seasons in the heart of the King's Landing storm.

Pycelle is a weak, submissive, and incredibly sycophantic man who frequently changes sides in courtier politics as he visits brothels. Not particularly competent in anything other than following Cersei's instructions in relation to a dying Jon Arryn in the events just before season 1 began, Pycelle’s repulsive nature and cowardice are why he is such an unappreciated villain.

The Waif

A girl is being held and attacked by another girl

The Waif (Faye Marsay) was a Faceless Men acolyte serving in Braavos' House of Black and White. She took joy in torturing, insulting, and eventually trying to kill Arya (Maisie Williams) rather than properly training her to be an assassin.

Essentially, The Waif was a vicious and heartless person. She possessed a stone-cold demeanor that seldom ever wavered, but she made little effort to hide her aggressive and vengeful nature, which she largely directed at Arya. Although viewers are not permitted to delve deeper into The Waif's mentality to understand why she is the way she is, it is evident that her brutality is what helped Arya get better at her training and that her savagery makes The Waif interesting.

Locke

A man is pointing and threatening another man with a knife

Locke (Noah Taylor) was Roose Bolton's (Michael McElhatton) greatest hunter and a man-at-arms sworn to House Bolton. Locke, who only appeared in Seasons 3 and 4, left a lasting effect on viewers of the series because of his maliciousness and his devotion to the Boltons.

Locke is a vicious sadist who is incredibly manipulative. Given his ruthless treatment of Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) and his desire to kill Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) and Rickon (Art Parkinson), he appears to have a deep loathing for everyone who belongs to the highborn aristocracy. Like Ramsay, he enjoys torturing and disfiguring people for enjoyment, and his underwhelming amount of screen time makes him one of the series' underestimated villains.

Karl Tanner

Karl Tanner (Burn Gorman), a Night's Watch brother, traveled north of the Wall on Lord Commander Jeor Mormont's (James Cosmo) Great Ranging. Tanner organized a rebellion at Craster's Keep where he and his fellow rebels, most of whom were ex-offenders, executed Craster and Mormont. However, Karl and his companions were ultimately discovered and executed by a group of the Night's Watch commanded by Jon Snow (Kit Harrington).

Tanner was a sarcastic, arrogant, obnoxious, flammable, and seemingly heartless bully. He is an unapologetic killer, rapist, and thug who has no compassion for other people and is only introduced to the viewers in Seasons 3 and 4 of the show. Having previously committed the terrible act of killing Mormont, he would serve as an excellent antagonist and Jon Snow's fiercest adversary if given more screen time.

Ser Alliser Thorne

Owen Teale as Alliser Thorne in Game of Thrones. — Image via HBO

Ser Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) oversaw the Night's Watch's recruitment process as the master-at-arms at Castle Black. Thorne leads a rebellion against Jon Snow when he is chosen as the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Once Jon is resurrected from the dead, Thorne is put to death for his treason.

Alliser Thorne is not intrinsically nasty or evil, despite the fact that he is portrayed as a severe, heartless, and occasionally cruel man. His actions and hostility towards Jon Snow and the other Night's Watch recruits seem to be motivated by his noble upbringing and his dislike of how the Watch has reduced to little more than a glorified prison. Thorne is an underappreciated antagonist because he is disturbed as well as harsh.

Mirri Maz Duur

An old woman talking to a silver-haired woman

Mirri Maz Duur (Mia Soteriou) is a godswife, healer, and wise woman who resides among the Lhazareen, followers of the Great Shepherd. She is enslaved by Khal Drogo’s (Jason Mamoa) khalasar in Season 1 of the show. She also practices blood magic as a maegi.

Mirri only appeared in a few episodes, yet she had a nearly incomparable impact on the show since she epitomizes what happens to the protagonist who mistakenly believes she is good. Mirri, despite Daenerys's kindness and generosity toward her, killed her husband and child and cursed her instead. Thus, her independent and strong mentality make her a very underappreciated villain.

Ser Gregor Clegane (The Mountain)

Ser Gregor Clegane (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson; Ian Whyte; and Conan Stevens) was the elder brother of Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann) and a knight of House Clegane that serves under House Lannister. He was a very ferocious, extremely lethal, and greatly feared fighter with a penchant for severe and excessive brutality.

Gregor is notorious for being ruthless and violent, mercilessly murdering innocent opponents half his size or organizing the torture of defenseless civilians. Gregor often engages in acts of extreme violence to sate his insatiable bloodlust. Additionally, he has very little screen time and has absolutely no relevant dialogue, which makes him a very underrated villain.

Qyburn

Qyburn (Anton Lesser), a former maester, was expelled from the Citadel for engaging in impermissible human experimentation. He replaces Varys (Conleth Hill) as Master of Whisperers on the small council after joining Cersei Lannister's service. When Cersei ascends the throne, Qyburn is appointed Hand of the Queen following the destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor and the unexpected death of King Tommen Baratheon (Dean-Charles Chapman).

Qyburn presents himself to the outside world as a very kind, courteous, and tranquil elderly guy. He interacts with others in a calm and patient manner, regardless of how they may feel about him. However, it has been shown that Qyburn is a wicked, crafty, very brilliant, and well-educated man. Qyburn might make a powerful malevolent assistant to his Queen, Cersei, if he entered the show earlier.

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